PATTERSON,
Thomas Malcolm - In 1941 he went to Toronto without his parents'
permission and joined the Royal Canadian Navy at age 17 (underage).
The Navy sent him to Esquimalt, B.C. for training and then he was
sent to Halifax where he was drafted to the Nepsya for a year.

Tom
was then drafted to a 4 stack destroyer - the Columbia where he was
a cook. To get on the Columbia he had to be taken to Scotland and
there they patrolled the Clyde River. In Scotland he was also
stationed at the naval base HMCS Niobe. Tom served on the Columbia
from 1943 to 1944. He was transferred off her after she was involved
in a collision which resulted in 33 feet of her bow was damaged.

He
met Ruth Bernice (Bush) in Liverpool Nova Scotia in 1944 on board
HMCS St. Boniface on Thanksgiving. He was a cook on the St. Boniface
at this time.

In
1945 he was sent to Halifax and then to St. Johns New Brunswick. He
was transferred to another Minesweeper where they patrolled the 12
mile limits. On Christmas 1945 Tom brought Ruth home to St. Marys,
Ontario to meet his family.

On
the 21st January 1946, he was discharged from the Navy. He was
always very proud of his naval career and of the new friends he
made; but at the same time, he was sad because of those friends that
he lost.

Tom
died peacefully on March 8, 2008 at St. Marys Memorial Hospital at
the age of 83, of St. Marys, has gone to be with his cherished and
loving wife the late Ruth Bernice (Bush) Patterson of 61 years. Much
loved father of Tom (Bev) Patterson of Barrie, Debbie (Ron) Clarke
of St. Marys and Gary (Shirley) Patterson of St. Marys. Dear
grandfather of Liz (Neil) Mavor, Missy (Don) Einarson, Sonya Clarke,
Nancy Clarke, Michelle Patterson (Paul), Lisa (Casey) Boyer and
Tanya Patterson. Great-grandfather of Aaron Mavor, Joseph Einarson,
Julien and Cierra Boyer. Survived by brother-in-law Namman (Norma)
Bush and sister-in-law Flora and the late Basil Bush. Also survived
by several nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents Elizabeth
and Tom Patterson and by his brother Mac Patterson and his wife
Marion.